This issue of Mycological Research News features a 21 year study of the occurrence, abundance and timing of macromycete fruit body production in a Swiss forest plot reported on this month.

This part of Mycological Research includes 15 other papers. These examine fruiting times in different genets of two Laccaria species, and report on differences in Microbotryum violaceum from North America and Europe, and also variation in Athelia rolfsii (Sclerotium rolfsii) and S. delphinii found by incompatibility and RAPD analyses. The EAN and NAN races of Ophiostoma novo-ulmi are named as subspecies, and molecular studies suggest that an unnamed Rhizoctonia attacking conifers is an anamorph of Ceratobasidium bicorne.

The effectiveness of surface sterilization methods for plant material is compared, an ELISA method for the quantification of Ulocladium atrum in plant tissues developed, and the efficacy of different storage regimes for Beauveria bassiana assessed. The fungicide oxycarboxin differentially suppresses Hebeloma sinapizans and not Tuber borchii.

A major study of the macrofungi and slime moulds on decaying beech logs uses gradient analysis to discern the effects of different parameters on species found. Different types of oidium formation in Coprinus cinereus strains are also described.

Taxonomic papers in this issue focus on novel marine and freshwater ascomycetes from the tropics, and describe a new gall-forming lichenicolous ascomycete.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Aqualignicola, Brunneosporella and Lichenopyrenis gens. nov.; A. hyalina, B. aquatica, Jobellisia viridifusca, L. galligena, Porosphaerellopsis bipolaris, and Trematosphaeria malaysiana spp. nov.; Ophiostoma novo-ulmi subsp. americana subsp. nov.

Molecular work to clarify major lineages in loculoascomycete fungi is enhanced by sequence data from 18 additional species, confirming the Melanommatales have to be included within Pleosporales, but showing Capnodiales to be separate. Other molecular papers address species concepts in Leveillula, species of Botryosphaeria and related anamorphs, and variation within the species Gaeumannomyces graminis,Phialophora gregata and Pleurotus eryngii. Variation in oospore formation, production and viability in Phytophthora infestans in central Mexico has also been investigated.

Four papers concern aspects of ectomycorrhizal fungi. They compare the fruit bodies found and fungi actually forming mycorrhizas in a single site, Amanita muscaria genotypes in Australian plantations, genotypes of two Pisolithus species associated with native sclerophyll forest in Australia, and glutamine uptake in the same Pisolithus species.

A further four papers concern the detection or visualization of fungal tissues. A PCR-based assay for Biscogniauxia mediterranea is described, an immunoblotting method developed to study growth dynamics in Rhizoctonia solani, microscopic and staining techniques for an endophytic Lophodermium, and epifluoresence microscopy in the study of ascogenous hyphal systems in Arthoniaceae.

Muller's Rachet hypothesis of 1964 is not supported by data from Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae.

The new species Tripospora militaris sp. nov. is described from Argentina and a key to the four known species provided.

Mycological Research News features what Phytophthora infestans race caused the Irish Potato famine?

Molecular work in this issue compares Glomus isolates from mycorrhizal roots and soil in the same field and reveals some discrepancies and probably novel taxa. New mt SSU rDNA primers hae been designed for use in filamentous ascomycetes and applied to Botryosphaeria and related anamorphs. β-tublin gene seqeuences are used in a phylogenetic study of species of Calonectria and associated Cylindrocladium anamorphs.

Microsatellite DNA analysis is used to examine variation in several fungi: a single clonal lineage of Phytophthora cinnamomi from different trees shows asexually derived morphological and pathological variation; Coniothyrium minitans proves to be rather invariable at the molecular level; five microsatellite loci in Dothiostroma pini generated with an anchored PCR technique enable most isolates to be differentiated; and in Beauveria brongniartii, ten microsatellite markers have been identified with the potential for monitoring biocontrol.

An analysis of substrate preferences amongst aquatic hyphomycetes indicates that some substrates support relatively specialized assemblages of species. The establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizas in the saltmarsh plant Puccinellia nuttalliana is shown to be limited by edaphic factors and not the presence of a suitable host. Further studies on the occurrence of three fungi on pine needles along a climatic gradient in France are reported. β-carotene has been found to inhibit sclerotium differentiation in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and epifluorescence microscopy has been used to study the galls formed by Biatoropsis usnearum.

Taxonomic papers included present six further Biscogniauxia's from Taiwan (with a key to the world species), assess the positions of Poronia pileiformis and Xylaria cranioides based on cultures of the anamorphs, report on new species of Inocybe in Spain, revise Entoloma species with cuboid spores in Madagascar (with a key to 13 taxa), and survey the species of Tulasnella in the Patagonian Andes.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Biscogniauxia ambiens, B. cylindrospora, B. formosana, B. latirima, Entoloma pseudoheimii, E. rufovinascens, Inocybe barrasae, I. ortegae, and Tulasnella robusta spp. nov.; B. abosticta var. orientalis, and B. formosana var. kentingensis vars. nov.; E. cuboidosporum var. chromostomum (syn. Rhodophyllus cuboidosporum var. chromostomum), and E. heimii (syn. R. heimii) combs. nov.

Mycological Research105 (1): 41–56 (January 2001).

In the paper by Câmara et al. titled ‘Systematics of Paraphaeosphaeria: a molecular and morphological approach’, three species are incorrectly indicated as belonging to Paraphaeosphaeria in Fig. 1 (p. 43) and Fig. 2 (p. 44). The species epithets nodorum, oryzae and phragmiticola belong in the genus Phaeosphaeria and not in Paraphaeosphaeria; they are correctly assigned in Table 1.

This issue of Mycological Research News features a new Phytophthora linked to sudden deaths of oaks, a re-examination of the phylogeny of Agaricales, and permanent microscopic preparations. Editorial News covers fast-track (3–4 month) publication in the journal, the inclusion of sequence alignments in papers, and temporary contact details for the Executive Editor.

This month's Mycological Research includes fifteen papers. Molecular studies concern the detection and relationship of glomalean mycorrhizal fungi, the recognition of an additional order of ascomycetes (Agyriales), the identification of dark septate endophytic fungi (by inter-sequence-repeat-anchored PCR), the systematics of Paraphaeosphaeria, and variability in Cryphonectria cubensis on Eucalyptus, Pythium irregulare from selected crops, Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 1A isolates from rice, and Uromyces pisi s. lat. on Euphorbia.

The biocontrol potential of fungi against Colletotrichum musae on banana, and of Epicoccum purpurascens and its metabolites against Sclerotinia head rot of sunflowers have been assessed. The polygalacturonase activity of different Fusarium species from Pinus is studied, and the ability of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi from Woollsia pungens and of Hymenoscyphus spp. to grow on different amino acids compared. A mathematical model for predicting intraspecific competition outcomes is evaluated experimentally using two Coprinus species.

The ultrastructure of Tubakia dryina is documented, and notes on Cresporhaphis are presented with a key to the known species. One new species is described: Cresporhaphis ulmi sp. nov.

The molecular diversity of glomalean fungi was studied by analysis of Glomus specific sequences amplified from field harvested peas. Glomus specific, large rDNA sequences were amplified from roots in a nested PCR reaction, following primary amplification with eukaryote specific primers. The nested primers were designed to amplify a lineage within the genus Glomus including G. mosseae, G. caledonium and G. geosporum, all of which had repeatedly been isolated from trap cultures set up with soil from the field. Single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was used to screen the nested PCR products for presence of multiple sequence types. Nested PCR products were sequenced if necessary after reamplification of single SSCP types. The root derived sequences were aligned with sequences from spores of 17 cultured Glomus isolates; five of these isolated from the same field from where the peas were harvested. Some of the root-derived sequences were from lineages other than those species isolated from the field and some of the isolated species were not retrieved as sequences from the roots.

Fungal fruit bodies were surveyed on a plot area of 1500 m2 from 1975–99 (excluding 1980–83) in the fungal reserve La Chaneaz in western Switzerland. Fruit bodies were identified and counted on a weekly basis. Species richness and abundances varied strongly between years. More than 400 species were encountered. Many species were transient; particularly rich years showed species occurring for only one year. This indicates that the number of species will substantially increase if the survey is continued. Within years, the species richness, abundances and periods of fruiting were tightly correlated. The abundance data of species within a year seemed symmetrically distributed over their fruiting period. The relation between species richness and abundances within years was studied by fitting species-abundance plots, known from numerical ecology. The surface area under the curves was taken as a parameter for ecological/fungal diversity. Productivity was correlated with the precipitation from June until October. The time of fruit body appearance was correlated with the temperatures in July and August. As groups, mycorrhizal and saprotrophic species behaved similarly over the years. The productivity of species was compared with their distribution in The Netherlands indicating a correlation between the level of local abundance and the geographic range of species.

The current state of professional mycology in Britain is considered in relation to the intellectual legacy left by the founding father of British mycology, the Reverend M. J. Berkeley (1803–1889). Through a review of Berkeley's life and work, it is suggested that there are many unexpected parallels between British mycology today and in the nineteenth century. Although there are now a considerable number of professional mycologists, support for professional mycology and mycological education is considered to be inadequate and seems in some ways to have advanced little in the past century and a half. It is concluded that above all, the current poor level of support for whole organism studies is the greatest betrayal of Berkeley's legacy.

The Executive Editor is now based in Madrid; see inside front cover for contact details. Manuscripts and enquiries should now be sent straight to Madrid and not his former London address.